The North Carolina Collection preserves and makes available the historical record of the city and county of Durham. You'll find a wealth of materials to assist with researching North Carolina-related topics as well as several online exhibits.

Durham County Library Hosts Director for Film Screening

Program: Film Screening: Landscape of the Heart: The Elizabeth Spencer StoryDate: Saturday, January 11Time: 3 p.m.Location: Main Library, 300 N. Roxboro St.Cost: Free and open to the public

About: Durham County Library will host Rebecca Cerese, producer, writer and director, for a screening of her film, Landscape of the Heart: The Elizabeth Spencer Story, at 3 p.m. on Saturday, January 11 at the Main Library, 300. N. Roxboro St.

Elizabeth Spencer authored The Voice at the Back Door, one of the earliest novels recounting racial tension in the South, three years before Harper Lee’s To Kill a Mockingbird. Recommended for a 1957 Pulitzer Prize that was never awarded, her early works are now viewed as among the most important literature from a female writer of the 1950s and 1960s. Spencer is still writing today, producing books and stories about race, class, gender and politics.

This documentary film offers a window into the author’s life and work. It features archival photography and film clips, re-enactments and interviews with many of today’s most important writers of the American South, including Allan Gurganus, Lee Smith, Hodding Carter, Randall Kenan and Douglas Blackmore.

Cerese currently serves as vice president of the Peoples Channel, the public access station in Chapel Hill and Durham. She recently completed her term serving on the boards of the Southern Documentary Fund as well as the ACLU of North Carolina. Cerese holds dual degrees in Communications and English from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

This program is co-sponsored by Southern Documentary Fund and Durham Library Foundation. For more information, contact Joanne Abel at 919-560-0268.

Durham County Library encourages Discovery, connects the Community and leads in Literacy. As a department of Durham County Government, the library furthers Goal 1 of the county’s Strategic Plan by enhancing cultural, educational and creative opportunities. For more information about the library, visit durhamcountylibrary.org.